Primary school child filmed puffing on vape while sat next to mum on public bus
Child spotted vaping next to mum on Lothian bus
TikTok
A primary school child and their mum have stirred up major outrage after the young boy was spotted vaping on a local bus.
The footage, allegedly taken on an Edinburgh Lothian Bus, shows the boy puffing on the vape while sitting next to his mum while the bus was in the Wester Hailes area.
He can be seen in the footage taking several puffs from the disposable vape.
His mum can be seen in the window seat of the bus holding her head in her hand while distracted by her phone.
Boy vaping on bus
TikTok
The mum was reportedly confronted by a concerned passenger on the bus but the mum claimed she did not notice her child’s behaviour as she “had a cold” and “couldn’t smell it”.
The clip, which was uploaded to Facebook and then subsequently shared on TikTok has been viewed over 80,000 times and has garnered over 5,000 likes.
Reacting to the clip, one social media user wrote: “Sometimes there is absolutely no words to describe how disgusting and low someone can go.
“Blatantly letting your nursery child go into your pocket, take out your vape and ***START SMOKING IT BESIDE YOU*** While you sit on your phone oblivious and clearly not giving a s**t that your small child is smoking is absolutely beyond me.
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“How can you even think it's acceptable to let this happen.
“And the fact that there is no s***s given about the fact you're on a bus.
“That boy deserves parents that actually care about his safety and wellbeing.
“Disgraceful excuse of a mum doesn't even cover it.”
In Scotland, it is illegal to buy or sell vapes containing nicotine to anyone under the age of 18.
Lothian Buses also prohibit the use of vapes and cigarettes on their services.
Lothian Buses were approached by GB News but refused to comment on the incident.
According to data from Trading Standards Scotland, one in five Scottish retailers have been found to be willing to sell vapes to an under-18.
David MacKenzie, chair for the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland, said: “The health of young people is a key priority for Trading Standards and smoking is the greatest threat to their health and development, especially for younger children.
“These results are very concerning and we will be stepping up efforts this year to support sellers with advice, and continue to take enforcement action where sellers break the law.
“NVPs (nicotine vapour products) can be a useful cessation aid for smokers who want to give up smoking, but they are not intended as a lifestyle product for young people.
“The bright packaging colours and sugary and fruity flavours are child-appealing, and the easy availability of single-use vapes in particular is not helpful.”
Back in June, leading Scottish doctors called for the ban of single-use vapes.
“We're seeing enough evidence to be worried,” Dr Kenneth Macleod told BBC Scotland, “We'll never know the true effect until we leave it many years.
“But similar to the arguments around cigarette smoking 50 or 60 years ago, we don't want to wait until we see the consequences.
“We want to act now on the suspicions that we have and there's some evidence that says e-cigarettes do cause lung inflammation.”